(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an APS (Advanced Photo System) camera, more particularly to an apparatus and a method for transporting a film in an APS camera and magnetically writing data on the film.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An APS camera differs in various ways from a conventional camera using a 35 mm film. First, the APS camera uses a film having two perforations formed on an edge of each frame, unlike the 35 mm film which has eight perforations formed along two opposing edges of each frame. Second, the APS camera has a magnetic writing unit capable of writing data on the frame surface of the film. The data include date and time information about the photographed object and so on. The APS camera is capable of selecting and using unexposed frames from a film which has both exposed and unexposed frames.
A conventional structure of the APS camera to transport the film and to write data is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the APS camera has a first and a second perforation sensing units 10 and 20, respectively, and a data writing unit 30. Also, a magnetic stripe 40 is formed on a lower portion of each frame of the film.
The first perforation sensing unit 10 is used to stop the magnetic writing operation and to wind an exposed frame of the film. The second perforation sensing unit 20 is used to start magnetic writing operation.
When a release button is operated by a user, a frame of the film is exposed. After exposure, the frame is transported by a motor (not shown) to begin the transport operation. At that time, the data writing unit 30 magnetically writes data on the magnetic disk 40 when a first perforation A is sensed by the second perforation sensing unit 20, and stops the data writing operation when the first perforation A is sensed by the first perforation sensing unit 10. The film transport operation is stopped when a second perforation B is sensed by the first perforation sensing unit 10.
Manufacturing cost of the APS camera is high, since the APS camera uses two perforation sensing units to transport the film and to write data. Also, providing spaces for two perforation sensing units becomes more difficult as the APS camera is made more compact.